NOVEL NEXT Chapter 159
Chapter 159: Looking the Part but Not the Part
Even after adapting to the school during the first semester, Sakura still found it difficult to cope with the intense competition. Or rather, up until now, the so-called class competition had been mostly limited to academics and had yet to fully reveal its brutal nature in other aspects.
Seeing Hikigaya immediately brightened her mood, making her noticeably more talkative than usual. She even had a camera hanging from her neck, showing her intention to take full advantage of this luxury cruise trip to capture beautiful moments.
Hikigaya and Sakura then made their way to the deck. The summer sea breeze gently brushed against their faces, creating an indescribably pleasant sensation. This was Hikigaya’s first time on a cruise ship. As he gazed at the boundless ocean ahead, with the bustling city slowly fading into the distance behind him, he closed his eyes and felt his body relax, his mood lifting unconsciously.
Click.
A faint sound came from beside him—Sakura had just taken a candid shot with her camera. Noticing Hikigaya’s gaze, she blushed slightly.
“Sorry, I just… thought that moment was worth capturing.”
“I see. I don’t think I look good in pictures, though.”
To ease the awkwardness, Sakura continued snapping pictures of the ocean’s scenery.
“U-um, Hikigaya-kun… Could you take a picture of me? I-I don’t feel comfortable doing it alone.”
Suddenly, Sakura’s expression turned nervous. It seemed like asking this had taken all the courage she had. After all, having a guy take pictures of a girl was something typically reserved for people with a close relationship.
“As long as you don’t mind me taking bad pictures.”
Hikigaya didn’t overthink it. Whenever he traveled in the past, he was always the one holding the camera. However, every time he took pictures, Komachi would mercilessly criticize them.
Finding a quiet spot, he took dozens of pictures of Sakura on the cruise deck under her guidance. At first, she was visibly stiff, but as time passed, she gradually loosened up. She even started striking more daring poses, almost as if she had stepped into the role of a gravure model.
“Thank you.”
Her face flushed, Sakura quickly took back the camera and lowered her head. She had only intended to take normal photos, but somehow, she had instinctively posed boldly. Even she wasn’t sure why. Maybe, somewhere in her mind, she thought, Wouldn’t this make the boy in front of me happy?
Just then, noise erupted from a distant part of the deck. It turned out that a small island had come into view—likely the destination for this trip. No wonder so many students were getting excited.
When Hikigaya and Sakura approached, they found a large crowd had already gathered.
“Hey, Class D trash, move aside!”
A sharp voice suddenly rang out from behind them. Turning around, Hikigaya saw it was a student from Class A—Totsuka Yahiko, whom he had met before during the student council interviews. Standing behind him was the stern-faced Katsuragi Kohei.
Katsuragi’s demeanor was very similar to Horikita Manabu’s, but compared to Horikita, he lacked the natural authority that commanded respect. Without that comparison, it wouldn’t be as noticeable, but to Hikigaya, who had interacted with Horikita Manabu frequently, Katsuragi’s aura felt somewhat awkward—like a failed attempt at imitating a tiger but ending up as a dog instead.
Still, some students feared Katsuragi’s stern expression and Totsuka’s harsh words. Sakura, clearly frightened by their presence, instinctively grabbed onto Hikigaya’s sleeve and trembled slightly.
Seeing her timid reaction, Totsuka burst into laughter.
“Yahiko, mind your manners,” Katsuragi said, furrowing his brow slightly. Totsuka quickly nodded in understanding.
From start to finish, neither of them regarded Hikigaya or Sakura as worth their attention. Or rather, this was their general attitude toward students from lower-ranked classes—a sense of superiority, as if interacting with lower-class students would “taint” them.
It wasn’t mere contempt—it was arrogance so extreme that it was infuriating.
Hikigaya had already sensed Katsuragi’s elitism back when they first met in the library. Katsuragi wasn’t the type to openly belittle or look down on others; rather, he had an unshakable belief in his own superiority. He naturally placed himself above everyone else, adopting the perspective of a high-achieving individual looking down on those below him. That was why his attitude seemed contradictory at times.
Take this moment, for example—Katsuragi reprimanded Totsuka not because he disapproved of mocking others, but because Totsuka had failed to uphold the dignity expected of a Class A student. To him, the mistake wasn’t in insulting Hikigaya—it was in behaving in a way unbefitting of someone in Class A.
Even after being “scolded” by Katsuragi, Totsuka still looked at Hikigaya with provocation. Though they barely had any interactions before, Hikigaya could clearly sense the hostility directed at him.
“What are you looking at?!”
Totsuka seemed annoyed that Hikigaya dared to meet his gaze, as if it was an offense.
“I’m just looking at a stray dog that no one bothers to control,” Hikigaya replied indifferently.
“You bastard! Who are you calling a stray dog?!”
Totsuka immediately exploded in rage, pointing at Hikigaya as he shouted, “Don’t think you’re hot shit just because you got into the student council! The fact that the student council rejected Katsuragi but accepted a defective Class D student like you is beyond stupid—they have no sense whatsoever!”
At that moment, Hikigaya understood the source of Totsuka’s hostility. He was bitter that someone from Class D had been accepted into the student council while he and Katsuragi, both from Class A, had been rejected. Totsuka had clearly been holding a grudge over this and now harbored strong resentment toward Hikigaya.
“If you think the student council has no sense, then maybe so. Otherwise, if they had let a stray dog in, that would’ve been truly senseless.”
Hikigaya smirked coldly.
Sakura couldn’t help but giggle beside him. Hikigaya’s words were a blatant insult—he was calling both of them “all bark and no bite.” And given how Totsuka was barking insults non-stop, it was hard to argue otherwise.
“You—!”
Totsuka was fuming, about to lash out again, when Katsuragi cut in with a calm but serious expression.
“No matter how much you argue, the reality remains that the gap between Class A and Class D is insurmountable. As Class A students, we are on a level that you in Class D can never reach. That is the truth of this school.”
Unlike Totsuka’s childish insults, Katsuragi’s words were more refined—he knew how to turn defense into offense. His argument struck directly at the fundamental reality of the school system, reinforcing his elite mindset. Compared to the hot-tempered Totsuka, Katsuragi’s logical and composed demeanor formed a stark contrast.