COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 144 - 138: Special exam coming up

It's been a while since I last moved my body with Ayanokouji and Amasawa. On the following Monday, the second-year students continued their daily routine of studying relentlessly for the upcoming special exam.

This time, since the lower-performing students bore a heavier responsibility, even those who usually never studied were mostly seen hunched over their textbooks, glaring at them as soon as lunch break began.

"Ah, Hikigaya, perfect timing. Can you explain this to me?"

Just as I stood up from my seat to go to the bathroom, I was caught by Hiyori and Nishino, who were studying. An English textbook lay open on the desk, and the problem they were pointing at was more difficult than average. The fact that they were attempting it suggested that Hiyori's academic skills had improved through their study sessions.

"Here, you solve it like this—"

"Huh, so that's how you do it. You're really good at teaching, you know? You might be on the same level as Hiyori."

"I'm just a guy with an academic rating of B, so don't expect too much from me."

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the humility. You're actually good at everything, aren't you? Right, Hiyori?"

"...Yes."

After a brief pause, Hiyori smiled faintly in response—then immediately averted her gaze.

...From earlier—no, since this morning—Hiyori had been acting strangely distant toward me. Of course, we still had normal conversations, and when no one was around, she would cling to me as usual. But today, even that was more subdued.

"Hey, did something happen between you and Hiyori?"

Just as Hiyori left to buy a drink, Nishino, who had obviously noticed the change in her, shot me the question.

"Even if you ask me that... I don't recall anything."

"Hiyori's always all over you, right? I've never seen her act this distant before."

As Nishino said, I'd seen Hiyori angry, sad, and in all sorts of moods before, but this was the first time she had ever seemed like she was avoiding me. Well, she still clung to me when no one was around, so maybe "avoiding" was too strong a word?

"Hey, you guys, let's go."

"Yessir!"

"OK, Boss."

While I was lost in thought, Ryuuen, Ishizaki, and Albert headed out into the hallway.

He was probably making his move to pressure Ichinose's class, taking advantage of her resignation from the student council—something he had mentioned before the weekend. Soon enough, the hallway would get noisy.

"I'll go check things out for a bit."

"You? That's unusual. You don't usually stick your neck into stuff like this."

"It's not like I'm getting involved. I just need to make sure Ryuuen doesn't do anything reckless."

Well, Ryuuen knew when to back off. Once he'd worn them down mentally, he'd probably retreat before things escalated too much.

I was still concerned about Hiyori, but since we'd be having lunch together with Nishino later, I could ask her about it then.

.....

As I stepped into the hallway, students from Ichinose's class rushed past me in a panic.

The source of the commotion was obvious—a crowd had formed around one classroom, with Ishizaki and Albert forcibly clearing a path.

"Come out already, Ichinose! Ryuuen's here!"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"What's with this sudden invasion? We're in the middle of something here."

"In the middle of what? I don't care about that. Just get Ichinose out here already!"

Shibata's attempts to reason with them were futile, and under Ryuuen's orders—who stood behind them with a predatory grin—Ishizaki continued forcing his way through.

The commotion in the crowded hallway drew the attention of students from other classes. Among the familiar faces, Hashimoto and Ayanokouji from Class A were watching from a distance, just like me.

The standoff didn't last long. The classroom door soon opened, and Ichinose stepped out.

"Well, well. Finally decided to show yourself, huh? The idiot leader who quit the student council."

"Things sure got noisy, didn't they?"

Ryuuen taunted her with his usual demeanor, but Ichinose remained unfazed, her attitude unchanged.

A physical altercation might have been what Ryuuen wanted, but Ichinose's class wasn't the type to resort to violence. Still, if things escalated, I'd step in to stop it.

"Ryuuen-kun is making bold moves again, I see."

As I watched the commotion, a familiar voice spoke up from behind me. The owner of the voice was Horikita, who had quietly stepped up beside me.

"I came to see what the fuss was about, and sure enough, Ryuuen-kun is a master at stirring up trouble."

"Well, it's Ryuuen. Nothing you say will get through to him. Oh, right, Horikita—"

"Horikita?"

"...Don't glare at me just because I messed up your name once, Suzune."

"It's Hachiman's fault for getting it wrong."

Though she stopped glaring when I corrected myself, she turned her face away with a huff.

"Anyway, back to the topic—how's your class holding up? Facing Class A must be putting a lot of pressure on you."

"We're doing... alright, I think. Even the lower-performing students are motivated now. They're studying during lunch breaks and everything."

She must have been feeling the pressure from Class A, but even so, she seemed confident in their chances.

"I can't openly support you since I'm from another class, but personally, I'm rooting for you. Do your best."

Even if the class point fluctuations in this exam were minor, I still wanted her to beat Class A.

"Mhm."

When I placed my hand on her head and gently patted it, instead of resisting, Horikita stretched slightly as if asking for more. She could be surprisingly cute sometimes.

"Ah, Horikita-san!"

"Eek!?"

Just as the mood was perfect, Matsushita peeked out from Class C's classroom. Horikita immediately put distance between us—apparently, she didn't want to be seen like this by others.

"Did you need something, Matsushita-san?"

"Yeah, well, Ike-kun and Sudou-kun said they have some problems they don't understand and wanted you to teach them."

"That's... I'll go a little later..."

Horikita glanced at me, as if she wanted to stay in this private space a little longer.

"But there aren't many people in our class who can teach them, and for the sake of the exam, shouldn't you go back, Horikita-san?"

"...You're right."

Reluctantly, Horikita agreed and turned to leave after saying a quick word to me. As I watched her walk away, she suddenly turned back and provocatively added:

"Let's talk again later... Haa-kun."

She deliberately emphasized the last part, then walked back to the classroom with a satisfied smile.

I cautiously glanced at Matsushita's expression beside me, but before I could, a dull pain shot through my side.

"Ow... what was that for?"

"What's with the Haa-kun? Why is she calling you that?"

Pinching my side, Matsushita puffed up her cheeks in anger.

...This wasn't what I expected. Since the school trip, Matsushita's way of expressing her affection had become more intense, but I hadn't expected her to get cutely angry like this.

"Suzune and I have gotten closer."

"First-name basis with Horikita-san too... Well, whatever."

With that, Matsushita closed the distance between us dramatically, resting her head against my shoulder. The sudden proximity left almost no space between us.

"Matsushita?"

"..."

She didn't say anything, just leaned against me. I figured it was best to wait until she was satisfied.

"Hey, you two. You're in the way."

A voice interrupted us—Ichinose, of all people.

"I don't care what you do, but don't get in the way of the students who are trying their best. And think about the people trying to get to lunch, too."

"Tch, fine. I'm getting hungry anyway. Let's pull back, guys."

The commotion between Ichinose and Ryuuen had already ended without me realizing.

"Matsushita, you can let go now. I'm having lunch with friends."

"You mean Shiina-san?"

She stared intently at me as she asked. I wasn't sure why she brought that up, but since it wasn't a problem, I nodded.

"Was Shiina-san acting... different from usual?"

"...How do you know about that?"

Hiyori's unusual behavior had only been noticeable to me and Nishino, who were close by. Yet Matsushita brought it up out of nowhere, as if she already knew.

"Ah, don't get the wrong idea. I didn't say anything mean to Shiina-san or anything."

She waved her hands playfully.

"We just had a girls' talk, that's all."

"A girls' talk...?"

The unexpected term caught me off guard. A girls' talk—that thing where girls gather in a room and complain about guys, right? According to Ayanokouji, it's where all the ugliest sides of women come out... but Hiyori and Matsushita?

"Well, I'm heading back. See you later."

Matsushita waved lightly and returned to the classroom.

.....

+Short Story 1

(Hehe~)

After returning to the classroom, Matsushita let out a quiet laugh in her heart.

(I'm so happy I got to talk to Hikigaya-kun today. He didn't even complain when I leaned on him... Does that mean he likes me enough to let me do that?)

Her feelings of affection grew exponentially, and she smiled cheerfully. Like a maiden in love, her heart was pure and full of joy.

"I really, really like Hikigaya-kun."

Her cheeks flushed red as she whispered the words to herself.

(But... I don't need him to like me back right now. As long as he falls for me in the end.)

Resting her chin on her hands, she closed her eyes with a blissful expression.

(So, it's totally fine if Hikigaya-kun messes around with other girls—whether it's Shiina-san, Sakayanagi-san, or Amasawa-san... Even if he gave them spare keys, even if he crossed the line with all three of them... Even if he's obsessed with older women... Even if he slept with Horikita-san—)

Somehow, she knew about things even Hachiman himself had kept hidden. Where she got that information was a mystery.

(I'll make sure he only looks at me. Only wants to be with me. Only feels drawn to me. Only cares about me. Only loves me. Only me. I'll never let him escape. ♡)

+Short Story 2

After witnessing the commotion, Hashimoto quickly made his way to the cafeteria and reported everything to his leader, Sakayanagi.

"So, Hashimoto-kun, how did the clash between Ryuuen-kun and Ichinose-san turn out?"

"Well, Princess, Hikigaya was caught up in his own drama, and after the commotion ended, he and Ayanokouji just watched from the sidelines. Want to see the video I took?"

"Huh?"

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