COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

"What a disgusting siscon." 

"Thanks. That's the highest compliment you could give me." 

"…" 

Haruno fell silent. It seemed like this was her first time encountering someone who could be so shameless and utterly immune to social embarrassment. 

How the hell is this guy's skin so thick?! 

This must be the legendary mental barrier of a loner, Hikigaya thought to himself. 

"Yeah… Hikigaya-kun, you're really interesting! I like that~" Haruno smiled slightly, as if she had just found a new toy. 

Hikigaya had originally hoped his "shamelessness" would make Haruno back off. But he had underestimated her—or rather, he still couldn't figure out what she was thinking. 

At the same time, he felt a vague sense of unease. He couldn't keep letting her lead the conversation. 

Suddenly, he took a step back, creating some distance between them. His tone turned stiff. 

"Yukinoshita-san, I don't think we're close enough for this kind of talk."

This was something that had puzzled Hikigaya from the start. In this timeline, Haruno was meeting him for the first time. To her, he should be nothing more than a stranger she'd seen no more than three times. 

"Running into a former middle school classmate in an unfamiliar place—isn't that something to be happy about? It's normal for alumni to look out for each other." Haruno answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

It was true. In certain situations, coming from the same school or region could be a reason to help each other out. Sticking together was common, even in society. In fact, wasn't that how academic and political factions were formed? 

"With your abilities, you doesn't need help from someone useless like me. If anything, I'm just a burden. I have no value to offer." 

"Huh? Hikigaya-kun, you're selling yourself too short. Do you really see me as someone so high above you? Is it because I was the student council president in middle school? Did that give you the wrong impression? I'm just an ordinary girl, you know~" 

Haruno even put on a show of acting humble, but Hikigaya wasn't buying it. 

"If someone who won the student council presidency by a unanimous vote as a second-year, was recognized and praised by other schools, topped the 'Most Popular Student' rankings for three years in a row, successfully organized a multi-school charity event that made it onto the Chiba Evening News, and earned the title 'Queen of Soubu' isn't considered outstanding, then I have nothing more to say." 

His face was blank, but anyone could hear the sarcasm in his voice. 

"My, my, Hikigaya-kun knows quite a lot~" Haruno smiled with narrowed eyes. 

"Thanks for the compliment. This is common knowledge for anyone from Soubu Middle School." 

"But I need to correct one mistake." 

Haruno's playful expression faded, replaced by a rare serious look. "One person's strength is limited. The so-called excellence you see on the surface is actually the result of many people working hard behind the scenes. If you think 'Yukinoshita Haruno' is great just because of that, then you're being unfair to them." 

Her words weren't wrong. As a leader, her efforts and abilities were undoubtedly a key part of everything. But Hikigaya suspected she was deliberately downplaying herself and steering the conversation away. That was one of her favorite tricks. 

It was easy to get caught up in her pace, so Hikigaya decided... to run away. 

But before he could, Haruno suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. 

"Actually, I'm here to apologize for yesterday." 

"It was just a small accident. No one got hurt, so there's no need to—" 

"You misunderstood." 

Haruno shook her head lightly, a complicated look flashing in her eyes. She let out a small sigh. 

"I'm apologizing for 'forgetting you,' Hikigaya." 

"Wh... What?" 

For a moment, Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat. A flicker of hope lit up inside him—only to be snuffed out in the next second. 

"Three years ago, on the first day of middle school, you got into a car accident, didn't you?" 

So she really didn't have "those memories." 

Hikigaya felt as if all the strength drained from his body. His expression dimmed. 

There was nothing more crushing than the spark of hope being extinguished just as quickly as it appeared. 

After a brief silence, he finally spoke in a tired voice. 

"Yukinoshita-san, so you... already know about that?" 

Haruno nodded. Seeing him confirm it, she let out an unexpected sigh of relief. 

"When I saw you yesterday, I had this strange feeling like we'd met before. At first, I thought our 'first meeting' was on the bridge. But later, I realized we actually met much earlier." 

In this timeline, the car accident Hikigaya got into on his first day of middle school— 

The person in the car wasn't Yukino. 

It was Haruno. 

Hikigaya couldn't tell whether this was fate or a cruel joke. So far, he had been in two car accidents, and both times, the culprits were the Yukinoshita sisters. 

Regarding the accident, since Haruno had just entered middle school, she was kept out of the discussions. Everything was handled between the driver, the Yukinoshita parents, and Hikigaya's parents. 

As a result, neither Haruno nor Hikigaya had any idea about it. They went to the same school, were in the same grade, and yet, they never knew each other. 

It was exactly like his situation with Yukino in high school. 

From everyone else's perspective, the two of them were complete strangers. But Hikigaya remembered everything clearly. 

However, judging by Haruno's attitude and reactions yesterday, she truly didn't recognize him. Could she really have pieced everything together overnight, after three years? 

As if reading his mind, Haruno smiled mischievously. 

"Well, it was only the first day of school, so there were some loopholes I could take advantage of. I just used a little trick, that's all. But it's a one-time thing." 

Hikigaya decided not to ask what kind of "little trick" she meant. He had a bad feeling it would lead to more trouble for him. 

"Who would've thought there was such a connection between us, Hikigaya-kun? The world really is small."

"Ahem, just a reminder—'fate' is used for good things. In this case, 'bad karma' would be more accurate." 

Haruno paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Haha~~ Hikigaya-kun, has anyone ever told you that you have a talent for humor? So, yesterday, you actually recognized me but deliberately misled me. Is that right?" 

As she spoke, her tone, which had started out playful and teasing, gradually turned cold. Her eyes stared at Hikigaya with an icy sharpness. 

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