COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

...Oh, I want to die.

In a typical scenario, meeting an old classmate at a new school, especially a pretty girl, might bring a sense of happiness, even if you don't know her well.

However, for Hikigaya, it simply meant another person who knew about his embarrassing past.

Happiness?

No; Hikigaya felt more like dropping out of school on the spot.

For a moment, the atmosphere became unbearably heavy.

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun. I think I said too much."

Matsushita finally noticed something was off. She appeared to snap out of her excitement, her voice softening as she looked cautiously at Hikigaya.

"But there's a reason for it," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I've heard so much about you. Seeing you in person and being in the same class made me a bit too excited. Can you please forgive me?"

"No, I'm not angry, and you have no reason to apologize," Hikigaya replied, nearly taken aback.

What kind of legendary figure did they think he was? What had happened in his absence that he wasn't aware of?

This girl, Chiaki Matsushita, was also odd. She seemed to be wary of him, yet it didn't entirely seem true.

If she was really scared, why would she initiate a conversation?

Hikigaya couldn't recall doing anything particularly frightening at Sobu High. The worst thing was making the chairman cry during the cultural festival, but even that wasn't a big deal when you thought about it.

Or were people at Sobu High just particularly fragile?

It was all very confusing.

"Don't worry, Hikigaya-kun. I won't tell anyone about you," Matsushita assured him, patting her chest as if to promise. "But if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me about the cultural festival and what happened after the school trip? I'm just a little curious."

"After the school trip?"

Hikigaya was baffled again. What follow-up could there be? At most, some classmates gossiped behind his back, but nothing major had happened.

Matsushita was about to explain when the school's speaker suddenly crackled to life—

"First-year students, please be aware that today at 5 PM, the First Gymnasium will host a club briefing. Students interested in joining a club, please gather at the First Gymnasium. I repeat, Today—"

It was an announcement from the school.

Clubs?

Oh, right, speaking of which...

Hikigaya suddenly remembered that Haruno had asked him yesterday to attend the club recruitment meeting. He still had no idea what she was up to.

Nothing good would come of it; that much was certain.

"Um, Hikigaya-kun."

Matsushita's voice drew him back to reality.

"What is it?"

"You seem interested in club activities?"

"...No, I'm just planning to check it out."

If he had a choice, Hikigaya would rather not go. He despised crowded places.

However, not going would cause more problems later, so he had to accept it.

"I'm sorry, but I've already made plans to go to a café with Karuizawa after school, so I can't go with you," Matsushita said apologetically.

No, no, no, I never expected you to come along.

Although he was tempted to retort, Hikigaya knew that would be too unfriendly, so he just shook his head, indicating it was fine.

However, the doubts in his mind only deepened.

What's with this girl? She's awfully familiar!

Moreover, Matsushita seemed unusually interested in him, which made the situation feel even more suspicious.

It was really too fishy.

"By the way," Matsushita suddenly said, "you didn't introduce yourself yesterday, did you? I saw you leave early."

"I was in a hurry to get to the bathroom."

So it was Matsushita who had been watching him yesterday. Hikigaya had never anticipated receiving recognition from anyone. He had hoped to blend in like a ninja by keeping a low profile, but it seemed that plan wasn't working.

"Also, do you want to exchange contact information?" Matsushita made an abrupt suggestion.

"…Why?"

"Uh, because we're classmates?"

Matsushita had likely never encountered such a question before. She looked stunned for a moment before giving her answer.

It was an answer that made it hard to refuse. Of course, if he could learn from a certain icy beauty, he might be able to decline with dignity.

Unfortunately, Hikigaya lacked a heart as cold as ice, nor was he a beauty.

So, he obediently took out his phone and handed it over.

"Huh? You're just giving me your phone?"

Matsushita was surprised.

"Normally, wouldn't you hesitate to do that?!"

"It doesn't matter. There's nothing on it that others can't see, and I'm not very good at operating it, so I'll leave it to you," Hikigaya said indifferently.

Matsushita gave a wry smile and muttered, "Hikigaya-kun really is a weirdo," as she quickly registered the contact information and handed the phone back.

"Thanks."

Hikigaya took it and put it away, then added as if he had just remembered, "Just so you know, I don't chat online very often. I hope you won't mind if I don't respond much."

"Yeah, that's okay," Matsushita nodded. "I know you're not great at conversation, but at least try to reply."

"...I'll manage."

Matsushita sighed, "When you say it like that, it sounds like you don't want to respond at all, like a politician."

Hikigaya shrugged. He didn't think they'd have much to talk about anyway.

After all, Matsushita was probably just excited because of the rumors about Sobu, and she'd likely forget about it in a few days.

Soon, the school day was over, and Hikigaya quickly packed his bag and headed to the gymnasium mentioned in the broadcast.

However, he didn't contact Haruno. After all, she had only asked him to attend the recruitment meeting, not to meet up with her.

If there were gods in this world, Hikigaya sincerely prayed that Yukinoshita Haruno wouldn't show up!

With that thought, he made his way to the gymnasium, where many first-year students had already gathered. It seemed like everyone had come with friends, except for Hikigaya, who was alone.

He found a spot at the back and stood there, determined to leave as soon as it was over.

Not long after, a charming girl with purple hair and a bun appeared on stage, turned on the microphone, and began speaking.

"Dear first-year students, I apologize for the wait. I'm Akane Tachibana, the student council secretary, and I'll be your host for this briefing. Please take care of me."

The senior, who introduced herself as Akane Tachibana, appeared to be the one who made the radio announcement during lunch.

"Now, representatives from each club will begin their introduction sessions."

After greeting the audience, Akane Tachibana stepped back, and a group of people hurried onto the stage, lining up in front of the crowd.

The club representatives each had their own distinct style, from strong seniors in judo uniforms to those in elegant kimonos. It felt a bit like a variety show.

However, Hikigaya's attention was drawn to the senior at the end of the line, dressed in a uniform, wearing glasses, and maintaining a stoic expression.

Among them, he wasn't the most physically imposing, but he exuded the strongest presence.

How could Hikigaya describe it? The aura he emitted was on a completely different level from the others.

Hikigaya sensed a connection between this individual and Haruno's order to attend this event.