COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 42 - : Another Ordinary Day

Three weeks had passed since the start of the school year. Today was Monday of the fourth week, and there was only one week left until the next month.

Class D was as terrible as ever. Showing up late, leaving early, sleeping in class, zoning out, playing on their phones—it had all become the norm. And of course, there were the usual cliques.

There was the girl group led by the flashy blonde gyaru, Karuizawa, who spent their time gossiping about celebrities and makeup. Then there was the idiot duo, constantly saying dumb things and earning nothing but eyerolls from the girls.

It seemed like no one in Class D had noticed the subtle shifts in the school's atmosphere.

Meanwhile, there was another piece of bad news: the class's most popular pretty boy, Hirata, had started dating Karuizawa.

This only made the gyaru group even more arrogant. But Hikigaya had no right to judge—they were free to date whoever they wanted.

"Hey, Ayanokouji, let's go eat in the cafeteria!"

Yamauchi called out to Ayanokouji, laughing as he left the classroom with Ike, Sudou, and the others. Hearing his name, Ayanokouji quickly got up and jogged after them, like a little brother rushing to follow his older siblings.

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Watching the scene, Hikigaya couldn't shake a strange sense of discomfort.

If there was anyone in this class that he found hard to read—or even a little unsettling—it was definitely Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji was practically invisible in Class D. He rarely spoke, his face was always emotionless, and he had no friends. He was surprisingly well-behaved in class—neither breaking rules nor standing out. A true "transparent student."

That made him similar to Hikigaya and Horikita—outsiders in the class.

But there was one key difference: Ayanokouji actively tried to "make friends."

And by friends, that meant the idiot duo, Ike and Yamauchi. Though, rather than "making friends," it was more like forcing himself into their group.

The idiot duo, feeling smug about it, treated Ayanokouji like some kind of charity case—acting like they were reluctantly letting him join.

And yet, Ayanokouji didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked... satisfied with it.

Now, he had somehow become their "errand boy" and a source of entertainment for their group.

This is way too strange.

This isn't just putting up with something—it's outright degrading yourself. And yet, Ayanokouji not only has no complaints but even seems satisfied with the result?

Not just Hikigaya, even Horikita, who sat next to him, couldn't understand it. The reason they were seen as outcasts in the class wasn't just because of their personalities—it was because, like Hikigaya and Horikita, they refused to lower themselves to fit in.

Of course, it was also possible that Ayanokouji wanted to change, that he didn't want to be isolated and seen as different, so he chose to compromise and join a group. Plenty of people did the same.

But for some reason, Hikigaya couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Ayanokouji clearly had the ability of a "predator," yet he chose to live like a weak, ordinary member of the group?

It didn't make sense.

Had he misjudged Ayanokouji? Or was Ayanokouji just playing dumb, waiting for the right moment? Or was there another reason?

That was what confused Hikigaya.

After school that afternoon, Hikigaya received an email from the student council. It was short and to the point—it congratulated him on officially becoming a member.

Yet, there was no excitement on his face, no joy at being accepted, nor any disappointment at the thought of being rejected. He was completely calm, as if he had just read an ordinary message.

To Hikigaya, joining the student council felt as normal as drinking a glass of water.

He wasn't trying to act cool—it was simply how he really felt. Even he was a little surprised by how steady his mindset had become.

Was it because he had been confident about the interview?

He didn't think so. The truth was, he hadn't been sure of the result at all. It felt more like his way of thinking had changed, as if he had reached a new level of understanding.

Go with the flow. No joy, no fear.

Do what you must, and don't overthink it.

That was probably how he felt now.

Unfortunately, that calm and detached mindset didn't last long. It was like a sudden flash of enlightenment—here one moment, gone the next.

Now that he was officially in the student council, Hikigaya's daily routine barely changed, except for having to go to the student council office after school to handle duties.

In fact, no one in his class even noticed that he had joined. And even if they did, the most they would say was something like, "Hah, so the student council's that easy to get into? If I'd known, I would've given it a shot."

That was... until the last Friday of the month.

The third period on Friday was social studies, and their teacher was none other than their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae. But despite that, the students of Class D were as rowdy as ever.

Normally, Chabashira-sensei would just ignore them, start her lesson, and leave on time without bothering to deal with the chaos.

But today was different.

"Today's class is important, so shut up and listen!"

Anyone could hear the seriousness in her voice. It was a clear warning.

But some students in Class D didn't seem to notice that she was acting differently today. Some were even jokingly calling her "Sae-chan" from the back of the room.

"Since it's the last weekend of the month, we'll be having a small test."

As she spoke, Chabashira-sensei started passing out the test papers.

Ignoring the groans of the usual troublemakers, she continued, "This test is just for reference, so it won't affect your grades. But even though it's just a practice test, I won't tolerate any cheating."

Hikigaya quickly skimmed through the test and realized that the questions were surprisingly easy. Most of them weren't even high school-level—anyone with a basic middle school education could pass.

But soon, he noticed something strange. While most of the questions were simple, the last three were ridiculously hard—so much so that they felt like they belonged to a completely different test.

Especially the last math question. He understood every word in the problem, but when put together, it looked like gibberish.

"This is way too hard, Sae-chan. Can we do an open-book test?"

"Yeah, it's just for reference anyway. Let us fill in whatever and be done with it."

The usual troublemakers and some other students started whining, thinking that Chabashira-sensei would just ignore them like before and let them get away with it.

"Shut up and start the test!"

Chabashira-sensei frowned and snapped at them sternly.

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