The Endless Persistence of Kushida

Ayanokouji couldn't quite grasp Hikigaya's motives.

If Hikigaya truly intended to suppress Sudo and his group, why would he go so far as to offer points to Sudo for a makeup exam?

The origin of those points was unclear, but it was evident they weren't easy to come by.

In most social situations, it wouldn't be surprising if Ayanokouji or Sudo, who could barely be considered friends, helped each other out. But Hikigaya didn't share a close bond with them, making his willingness to spend so many points on Sudo rather perplexing.

Hikigaya's attitude toward Sudo and his friends seemed indifferent; he treated them like everyone else, without special animosity but also without any overt kindness. He wasn't the type to act without reason, nor did he seem like someone who would sacrifice his resources without a purpose.

His behavior was riddled with contradictions.

Perhaps, just as Kushida's cheerful persona was an act, Hikigaya might have been putting on a show that night too.

This was the only explanation that made sense to Ayanokouji at the moment.

But if Hikigaya wasn't driven by revenge, why did he say those things to Kushida?

...No, it still didn't add up.

As Ayanokouji pondered, Kushida returned from her conversation with Hikigaya, looking somewhat disheartened.

"Hikigaya-kun still won't say anything," she said with a frustrated smile.

——Won't say anything?

Ayanokouji was perplexed by her words. Why was Kushida so certain that Hikigaya knew something important?

Was it simply because Hikigaya was part of the student council?

That explanation felt too flimsy. Kushida wasn't the type to make baseless assumptions.

"What now? Even if we ask Hikigaya, he won't help us," Yamauchi grumbled.

"That day in the student council room, he didn't say a single good word for us! He even told us to kneel before Class C!"

"Kneel?"

Kushida tilted her head, feigning confusion, though Ayanokouji had a feeling she understood more than she let on.

"Yeah! We were the victims! Why should we kneel? That bastard Hikagay!" Yamauchi's voice rose with frustration.

Ayanokouji felt irritation prickling at him. Yamauchi knew Hikigaya's name perfectly well, yet he deliberately mispronounced it out of petty jealousy.

His behavior was childish.

"Ike, did Hikigaya tell you to kneel?" Ayanokouji asked, hoping for a clearer answer.

"...I think he said something about it during the trial," Ike replied after a moment of thought. "And he mentioned that as long as the suspension didn't exceed three weeks, everything would be fine."

"How can it be fine? Isn't that just surrendering to Class C? We're innocent!" Yamauchi continued to complain loudly.

Ignoring Yamauchi's outburst, Ayanokouji turned his thoughts inward.

The kneeling was likely meant to be a show of submission in front of the student council, to reduce their punishment.

But the emphasis on the suspension not exceeding three weeks...

So that's how it is.

Ayanokouji never expected Hikigaya would come up with such an idea for the benefit of the three of them. It's hard to imagine someone like Hikigaya Hachiman being in the white room; he would undoubtedly have seemed like an anomaly, a defective piece in that setting.

"By the way," Ayanokouji suddenly interjected, "the final exams are at the end of the month. Are you confident about them?"

Yamauchi, clearly annoyed, rolled his eyes. "What? I don't have the energy to worry about exams right now."

"No, I was just wondering what would happen if you missed the exams due to the suspension," Ayanokouji continued.

"Huh?" The room fell silent as everyone exchanged bewildered looks. Even Horikita looked up, her attention caught.

After a moment, Ike stammered, "They should let us take a make-up exam, right? Just like with Sudo."

"It was Chabashira-sensei's fault in Sudo's case, and it was a special circumstance that Horikita and Hikigaya argued for," Ayanokouji replied, quickly dashing their hopes.

"What should we do?" Yamauchi jumped up, panic evident.

"If we're suspended, won't that mean we'll be expelled?!"

"No! I won't let that happen!" Kushida exclaimed, rising to the occasion.

Though she had no concrete evidence, Kushida's words had an immediate calming effect on everyone.

"I'll talk to Hikigaya-kun after school. He must know something," Kushida said confidently.

"Kushida-chan, do you think this will work?" 

"Well, I believe that if I approach him nicely, it's possible!" Kushida's determination was clear.

It wasn't just that Kushida was unwilling to give up; she seemed intent on involving Hikigaya in the matter.

Ayanokouji, too, felt that consulting Hikigaya was the most practical approach and had suggested to Ichinose to test this possibility the previous day. It was certainly a better strategy than aimlessly searching for answers.

---

After school, Kushida left her seat at the end of the class meeting and made her way to the back of the classroom.

Hikigaya, sensing trouble, hurriedly packed up his belongings, but he was too late to escape.

"Excuse me, Hikigaya-kun, could I have a moment of your time?" Kushida asked.

"I've already told you I don't know anything," Hikigaya replied, clearly irritated.

Kushida's persistence puzzled him. Her enthusiasm seemed excessive, and Hikigaya couldn't figure out her true intentions.

"So, regarding this case, the final decision will be made by the student council, correct?" Kushida continued, noticing Hikigaya's nod.

"In that case," she continued, "I was wondering if you could intervene in this matter with the student council? I'm not asking you to favor Ike-kun and the others, but to help clear their name."

"No, I'm also in Class D, so I need to avoid any suspicion," Hikigaya responded, his tone dismissive.

Kushida's suggestion implied that the three involved were being framed, and while there was some truth to that, Hikigaya knew that from the student council's perspective, it was important to remain objective.

He wasn't going to involve himself.

"That's not true," Kushida insisted.

"I don't think President Horikita would act unfairly. I've heard he values your opinion and might hope you'll show a fair attitude in this matter."

"Not this time..."

Hikigaya began to retort but was interrupted by a sharp, disapproving glare from the side.

He glanced over and saw Horikita Suzune watching him with a look of envy and frustration.

— Oh no, it seems the brother-con is quite displeased.

Hikigaya didn't care much about Horikita's mood but preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble. He also suspected that Kushida's comments were meant to create discord between him and Horikita.

This was getting unnecessarily complicated.

If only they could admit their mistakes and move on without all this turmoil.