"You bastard! You actually have the guts to say that!"
Sudo Ken's face flushed red as he stormed toward Hikigaya.
"Just in time! I've been annoyed with you for ages!"
"You look down on me all day long!"
He stepped forward and grabbed Hikigaya's collar with one hand. His 1.8-meter-tall, muscular frame radiated pure intimidation.
"Wait a minute, Sudo!"
"No violence!"
Yosuke Hirata immediately stepped forward to intervene but was shoved to the ground by Ken Sudo.
"Get lost! Or I'll beat you up too!"
Sudo's aggressive display scared off anyone who might have stepped in.
"Um, Sudo, please calm down. We can discuss this…"
Kushida Kikyo stepped forward, attempting to mediate. Despite her gentle words, standing up like this in front of a raging classmate was no small feat.
"Kushida… this isn't your business."
"Today, I will teach this damn dead-eye guy a lesson no matter what!"
Sudo's anger didn't subside entirely. He had already taken action publicly; stopping now would mark him as weak. Adolescence is cruel that way—once you've acted, retreat invites ridicule.
"Hikigaya-kun…"
Sakura Airi looked worried, secretly texting Chabashira Sae for help.
"Hey… Sudo! Are you planning to bully someone weaker?"
Karuizawa Kei's sudden words caught everyone off guard. She normally didn't get along with most of the boys and had even criticized Hikigaya for the rumor that he harassed girls from other classes.
Hikigaya's expression shifted slightly. Could it be… she thinks I'm standing up for her?
Horikita Suzune rose, as if ready to intervene, but after observing Hikigaya's subtle movements, she sat back down.
Sudo's jealousy flared as the class slowly rallied around Hikigaya.
Hikigaya analyzed the situation carefully. Confronting Sudo head-on would be unwise, given the physical disparity. Sure enough, Sudo, blinded by anger, threw a punch without a word.
Now!
Hikigaya dodged the fist, caught Sudo's wrist, and drove his knee sharply into Sudo's lower abdomen.
"Puff…?!"
Sudo's eyes widened. He hunched over, clutching his stomach.
"You… you bastard…"
Before he could react further, Hikigaya twisted his arms behind Sudo's back and pinned him to a table.
"Think about the consequences before acting. Understood?"
The rapid reversal left everyone in Class D speechless.
"Hiki… Hikigaya is so strong," Yamauchi Haruki muttered, swallowing nervously.
"Hey, let Sudo go!"
"How can you treat your classmates like this?"
Ike Kanji shouted, righteous indignation in his voice.
"You only remember we're classmates when it's convenient, huh?"
Hikigaya's words exposed the essence of Sudo's bullying nature.
Yamauchi and Ike were momentarily speechless.
"Aya, Ayanokouji, we're friends, right? Go help Sudo!"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka hesitated. He preferred to keep a low profile and was reluctant to act.
"Um, sorry… Hikigaya looks tough. I can't beat him."
Everyone rolled their eyes at his cowardice; his reputation took another hit. Hikigaya, of course, didn't buy it. He internally mused that Ayanokouji could very well be stronger than Horikita Manabu or Muto Buchou, perhaps even some secret-service-level operative.
"Huh~"
Sakura Airi breathed a quiet sigh of relief, impressed by Hikigaya's composed handling of the situation.
"Interesting~"
Hasebe Haruka, observing from the side, displayed a gleeful expression—pure curiosity.
Karuizawa Kei's eyes flickered slightly. This Hikigaya… reliable, and handsome, but his eyes… they're a little strange.
Horikita Suzune remained analytical, noting that even though Hikigaya's technique was refined, he was still no match for her brother.
"Behave yourself."
Hikigaya tightly locked Sudo's joints as the latter struggled.
"Ah! It hurts! Stop!"
Sudo grimaced, screaming in pain.
"Hikigaya-san, is this enough?"
Hirata Yosuke stepped forward, mediating.
"I don't mind, but can you guarantee this mad dog won't bite anyone?"
Hikigaya didn't release Sudo. Judging from the intensity in Sudo's eyes, once free, he would retaliate immediately.
"Leave it to me. I'll handle Sudo."
Hirata's voice was firm, authoritative.
As Hikigaya let go, he took a few cautious steps back. Sudo, now mobile again, immediately lunged—only to be intercepted by Hirata's cross clamp, restraining him with iron precision.
"Sudou, calm down," Hirata's voice was cold, sending a chill down Sudo's spine. He froze, meeting Hirata's unflinching gaze.
This guy… he's not as kind as he looks.
Cold sweat dotted Hikigaya's forehead. How could a perfect-looking, perfect-grades, well-connected, athletic, handsome student be assigned to Class D? Likely, Hirata's reputation as a "problem student" preceded him.
"I…"
Sudo felt suffocated, but his fragile ego prevented him from bowing.
A few moments later, the sound of high heels echoed in the hallway.
"I've only been gone a few minutes. What trouble have you caused?"
Chabashira Sae entered, eyes quickly assessing the scene. Seeing Hikigaya unharmed, her expression shifted to mild surprise.
She had come because Sakura Airi had texted her for help.
"I'm sorry, Chabashira-sensei," Yosuke Hirata quickly admitted, releasing Sudo. His demeanor had completely changed from the ferocity moments ago.
***
Welp this is it, kinda sucks that we were left hanging with such a short chapter…
Ive spent hours looking for the raws to no avail…its hidden somewhere in the link below
https://
tongrenshe.cc (I split the link up bc webnovel is notorious for taking down my links)
If anyone decides to look for the raws, leave a comment if you find them
If not we'll wait for mtl site to update (dont get ur hopes up 🤧)