COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you guys?" 

It was only the second period of the morning, but Hikigaya already looked completely drained of hope as he glanced around the classroom. Some students were sleeping, others were reading manga, and a few were even playing handheld games inside their desks. 

At first, everyone took class rules somewhat seriously, but little by little, they started getting distracted—daydreaming, zoning out, and paying less and less attention. And with the teacher either intentionally or unintentionally turning a blind eye, things quickly spiraled out of control. 

Hikigaya knew that listening in class was ultimately up to each student, but wasn't it a teacher's duty to at least remind them or try to keep order? 

This was straight-up encouragement. It was as if the school was telling them, "Do whatever you want—I won't stop you." 

With the teachers' indifference, the school's generous perks, and a completely unrestricted environment where there were no parents around for three whole years, the students kept pushing the limits. The result? The classroom turned into a total mess before the first morning was even over. 

And the worst part was the herd mentality. One student slacking off might not make much of a difference, but what about two? Three? The biggest problem was the students who lacked self-control—bad habits were spreading through the entire class. 

It's only the second day! 

And where's the so-called "leader" of this class? 

Oh, turns out she's doing the same thing. I'm talking about you, Karuizawa, the blonde gyaru reading a fashion magazine right in the middle of class. 

What about Kushida? She acted like the perfect student during lessons and kept her usual friendly, bubbly attitude outside of class, as if she hadn't noticed anything wrong. 

Hirata, the popular pretty boy—come on, do something! Well, to his credit, as soon as class ended, he actually tried to fix things. And... it did absolutely nothing. 

Is this really a school with a near 100% college acceptance and employment rate? 

This feels more like a delinquent high school! Did they rename this place to Suzuran or Furin High when I wasn't looking? 

Of course, Hikigaya knew it wasn't fair to put all the blame on the students. After all, the class didn't even have an official "leader" or "class representative" yet. At best, people like Kushida or Karuizawa were just small group leaders, so it wasn't their job to keep the class in order. 

If Hikigaya were in their shoes, he might have chosen to ignore it too. Not that it mattered—he had no say in anything as a bottom-tier outcast anyway. 

He sighed helplessly. 

But really, wasn't this just normal? 

What's the biggest difference between students and adults? 

Hikigaya believed it was growth. 

And what does growth mean? 

Responsibility. 

The moment you realize you have to take responsibility for something, that's when you start growing up. That's what separates students from adults—it's not just about reaching a certain age. 

The biggest problem with students is that they don't take responsibility on their own. Either they don't realize it, or they just don't want to. And really, could you blame them? They had only just entered high school. Even Hikigaya couldn't get too mad about it—he could only complain in his head. 

Still, there was one surprise. Hirata Yosuke, the popular guy, was the only one who actually stepped up. Sure, he didn't succeed, but at least he tried. At least he realized what responsibility meant. 

"This school is seriously messed up." 

Hikigaya wasn't most annoyed by the students who were ruining the classroom environment—he was more pissed at the teachers who did nothing. Or rather, the school itself. 

This was evil. 

Sometimes, having responsibility but doing nothing is its own kind of evil. 

After learning the truth about this school, Hikigaya had expected something like this to happen. He just didn't think it would be this bad. 

The way the teacher acted today was a perfect reflection of how the school worked as a whole. 

They had no intention of stepping in. 

And the consequences of that policy were already clear. With no supervision or guidance, the students of Class D were falling apart in just one morning. No side was innocent in this. 

But the most important part was… 

"Oh my god, have none of you idiots noticed the classroom cameras?!" 

The red light on the camera was blinking, recording everything happening in the room. Most students probably hadn't even realized the danger they were in yet. 

After figuring out that Class Points were how the school evaluated student performance, Hikigaya had been thinking about one thing—what exactly affects those points? 

If you look at it another way, the factors that affect the "Civilized Class" selection naturally include attendance and discipline. Expanding on that, academic test rankings, cultural festivals, sports festivals, and other student activities could also play a role. 

So, the factors that influence "Class Points" are probably similar. While it's unclear how to increase Class Points, looking at D-Class's terrible situation, it's easy to guess how they can be lost. 

Hikigaya could already picture the disaster that would unfold in class when Private Points were distributed in May. 

"This is just trash! I wonder if the other classes are like this too." 

Hikigaya felt frustrated and suddenly had a strong sense of "point crisis." He needed to rethink how to spend his points. 

Then, a thought crossed his mind. Back when the red-haired boy clashed with the senior students, they kept mentioning D-Class, defective students, and even hell. But at that time, the Class Points hadn't even changed yet. So why were they so sure that D-Class was defective? 

"I see." Hikigaya finally understood. 

These senior students had been through the same thing before. They knew what it meant. That's why they were so sure D-Class was defective! 

"In other words, the different classes were never equal from the start. A-Class is the best, and the other classes rank lower in order?" 

Could it be that students were sorted based on grades or other factors, with A-Class at the top and D-Class at the bottom? 

This school is seriously messed up. 

From what Hikigaya observed yesterday, the students in D-Class really did seem like troublemakers. Getting placed here actually made sense. And looking at the current state of the class, that just proved it. 

That means Haruno, who's in A-Class… is really talented. 

But then… Hikigaya glanced at the cold, serious girl sitting nearby. 

So your grades aren't great either, huh? And yet you act all high and mighty. 

Just thinking about it made Hikigaya want to laugh. 

Stare. 

As if sensing something, Horikita suddenly shot him a cold glare. Hikigaya immediately straightened up and behaved himself. 

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