CHAPTER 245: CHAPTER 244: A LITTLE TOO STRONG?

Hikigaya could relate to Hirata’s past in some ways.

When facing bullying, different people had different ways of dealing with it. And those choices led to different outcomes.

You couldn’t blame a 14 or 15-year-old for not handling such things well. Even adults struggled with it—sometimes making it even worse.

"Thank you, Hikigaya."

Hirata suddenly spoke up. "I feel a lot better now."

"Uh... why are you thanking me?"

Hikigaya looked confused. "Didn’t I just tear into you like crazy?"

"No, it’s like they say—people caught up in something often can’t see things clearly. Sometimes, it takes an outsider like you to see the truth."

Hirata gave a bitter smile. "If you hadn’t pointed it out, I never would’ve realized that everything I did was just my own selfish expectation. I told myself it was to help others, but really, it was just to ease my own guilt. I never even considered how they felt."

"...Actually, there’s more to what happened in middle school."

Hirata seemed to see Hikigaya as someone he could confide in. Maybe he had been holding all of this inside for too long. He always looked like a bright and cheerful guy, but deep down, there was a darkness no one else could see.

"When Sugimura jumped off that building and was rushed to the hospital, the bullies didn’t stop. Instead, they just found a new target. "

"When I realized that, I was furious. And... hopeless."

"So, back then, I made a decision..."

As Hirata spoke, his usual warm and friendly expression faded. His face darkened, almost looking twisted with anger.

If any of the girls who admired him saw him like this, they would probably be terrified.

Then again... was there even a girl at this school who didn’t know Hirata?

Hikigaya couldn’t help but think to himself.

"Fight fire with fire. Since they like bullying, I’ll use even more force to make them submit. That way, the bullying will stop."

Hirata said something so shocking in such a calm tone that it could make anyone’s jaw drop.

Even Hikigaya was a bit surprised.

"So, Hirata... were you a delinquent before?"

Hirata froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"A delinquent? I never thought of it that way. Back then, I only had one thought—if talking things out doesn’t work, I’ll solve it my own way. But the result... wasn’t great. The school..."

Hikigaya suddenly understood. So this was why Hirata was placed in Class D. If he hadn’t said it himself, no one would ever associate him with violence. In a way, Hirata had been hiding it really well.

"I won’t judge what you did in the past. I’m not in a position to."

Hikigaya sighed.

"As for now, I don’t want to say much either. Right or wrong doesn’t really matter. I’ve already said what I needed to say. What you do is up to you, just like I have my own choices."

After checking the time, Hikigaya mentioned he had student council work and got ready to leave.

"Oh, and about the Special Exam..."

Hirata suddenly remembered something and quickly stopped Hikigaya.

"I’ll cover the 500,000 private points for Koenji."

"Hirata, I was the one who brought this up in the first place. You don’t need to say any more."

With that, Hikigaya walked away.

Hirata stared at the empty seat across from him and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. At the same time, he felt a surprising sense of relief.

After getting scolded by Hikigaya like that, it felt as if the fog in his mind had cleared.

To be honest, Hirata had vaguely sensed for a long time that Hikigaya had probably experienced something similar to bullying. But his attitude—his mindset—was more mature than anyone else’s.

Hirata wasn’t someone without emotions, but when talking to Hikigaya just now, it didn’t feel like speaking to a peer. It felt like facing an adult.

That strange, undeniable sense of persuasion Hikigaya had—it made Hirata feel envious.

Sometimes, Hirata really wanted to know how Hikigaya had developed such a strong and mature mindset.

"If it had been Hikigaya in my place back then... maybe things would have turned out differently."

The thought crossed Hirata’s mind.

---

The Sports Festival had a total of 13 events, including both team and individual competitions.

Some events required two or more students to work together, so ever since the second semester started, many students had been seen practicing at the gym or on the field.

Thanks to Haruno’s training since the first semester, Hikigaya was in decent shape. At the very least, he wouldn’t be dragging the team down in physical activities.

The real struggle was for some of the girls. Sakura was a perfect example.

Even though she only had about a month to cram in some training, it was still better than doing nothing.

Sakura had taken the initiative to ask Hikigaya for help, so every morning and after school, he would guide her through some exercises.

But what Hikigaya didn’t expect was...

"Uh... Hikki, c-can I join too?"

During lunch, Hasebe suddenly approached him, looking a little awkward.

Ever since the Special Exam on the cruise ended, Hikigaya and Hasebe hadn’t talked much.

And after getting back to school, Hikigaya had been caught up in endless work, followed by the whole hidden-camera incident.

By the time the second semester started, they barely spoke in class, and a sense of distance had naturally formed.

It took a lot of courage for Hasebe to ask.

"I saw you and Sakura running on the track yesterday, so I was wondering if I could join too? I’m not very athletic, but I don’t want to drag the class down either, so..."

"No problem."

Hikigaya didn’t think much of it. In fact, her situation was pretty common.

After Hirata got back to normal, he had started organizing study groups again. But this time, instead of academics, they were focused on physical training.

With the same group structure as before, they trained together, which was far more effective than practicing alone.

But that also created a problem—students like Hasebe, who hadn’t joined the study groups before, were now left out.

If this had been last semester, Hasebe wouldn’t have cared.

But she knew sports weren’t her strong suit.

Even though Hirata had welcomed everyone, she just couldn’t bring herself to join in front of everyone.

So after thinking it over, she decided to reach out to the one person she had gotten close to on the cruise—Hikki.

So what started as just Hikigaya and Sakura working out together now included Hasebe as well. After Hikigaya explained the reason, Sakura agreed to let her join.

Compared to last semester, when she was like an ostrich hiding from people, Sakura was no longer as shy. She even reached out for a handshake when Hasebe greeted her warmly.

But to Hasebe’s surprise... this girl had quite the grip.

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