Chapter 128: Horikita's Resolve
[Koenji, mirror in hand, boasted, "Didn't expect my long-hidden secret to be uncovered."]
[Ike Kanji: "You… You're a playboy! I can't accept this!"]
[Yamauchi Haruki, breaking down: "Is it like on TV? If you get expelled, you'll inherit billions?"]
[Koenji, unfazed, casually said, "Of course."]
[Ryuen Kakeru: "What a free man."]
[Ichinose Honami, laughing helplessly: "Koenji-kun's a chaebol heir? I never would've guessed."]
[Shiranami Chihiro: "Yeah, I thought chaebol or official kids wouldn't come here since they can create their own opportunities."]
[Kanzaki Ryuji, frowning: "Not quite. Some families are declining. To revive them, they'd come here for a chance, since this is Tokyo's only school for direct official positions."]
[Shiranami: "Makes sense…"]
[Sakayanagi Arisu: "The school's interviewers need to be stricter. Such a mistake."]
[Hashimoto Masayoshi: "Damn, if these two team up, nothing in this school can stop them."]
[Kamuro Masumi, relaxed: "Hashimoto, don't make that ugly face. Even if Koenji started in Class A, we couldn't control him. It might backfire."]
[Sakayanagi nodded, smiling. It was undeniable.]
[Only Hikigaya could manage Koenji now, and at such a low cost. Anyone else…]
[Koenji might demand ten times more, 100,000 points.]
[Karuizawa: "Anyway, it's good for our class. Nothing bad about it."]
[Hirata: "Yeah, the process was tough, but the outcome's good."]
[Sotomura, deliberately: "Not so much for other classes…"]
[Those words reached others in the chat.]
[The Service Club was different.]
[Everyone scrutinized Hikigaya.]
[Isshiki Iroha: "Senpai, do you know your crime?"]
[Hikigaya: "Iroha, why the judge's stare?"]
[Yuigahama Yui: "Hikki, you've changed. You're a bad guy now!"]
[Yukinoshita Yukino: "Incredible. You let a girl hug you like that, Hikigaya-kun. You wouldn't have before…"]
[Miura Yumiko, though not close to him, nodded, sensing it from his personality.]
[Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun, guilty!"]
[Hikigaya, at a loss, managed, "She hugged me tight. I couldn't break free. That's not my fault, right?"]
Sakura's rank didn't matter, she'd given her all.
The girls' 100-meter race continued.
When they settled back in the stands, Horikita Suzune's group race began.
In her group was a familiar face: Ibuki Mio, who infiltrated their class during the island exam.
Though Hikigaya thwarted their plan, preventing further infiltration, they were now rivals.
Horikita wondered, 'How strong Ibuki is athletically?'
At the gun, the runners surged forward, fully focused. Horikita, for some reason, reacted slowly, starting behind Ibuki. During acceleration, she briefly overtook, but Ibuki's second burst threw her off. They were neck-and-neck mid-race, but Ibuki's terrifying stamina clinched first.
The intense battle thrilled the stands, erupting in excitement. Seconds later, the other runners reached the finish.
Horikita felt her loss was avoidable. Ibuki, smug, turned with a disdainful look.
"Heh, that's it?"
Horikita Suzune wasn't provoked by Ibuki Mio's taunt and quickly returned to the stands.
Hikigaya Hachiman: "Such a pity."
Horikita: "It's my own fault. Nothing to pity."
Hikigaya: "Second's not bad. I got second too, so I'm in no position to judge."
Horikita: "Are you bragging?"
Hikigaya: "No, I'm comforting you…"
Horikita's initially calm mood surged with irritation. Her athletic ability was top-tier among girls, perhaps slightly below boys, but she was a strong woman who'd trampled countless men underfoot. Yet this guy, once useless in sports, was now on her level.
For a moment, she couldn't accept it. As if venting, she punched Hikigaya.
Clutching his stomach, Hikigaya grimaced. "Idiot, if you injure me, I'll have to withdraw…"
Horikita rolled her eyes. "If you withdraw, I'll take all the blame. But you're far from that point. Want another two punches?"
Hikigaya darted behind Sakura Airi, unwilling to bicker further. She might punch him again if provoked.
He was tough, but not a punching bag…
And he was genuinely trying to comfort her.
After Horikita's group, Kushida Kikyo's and Karuizawa Kei's races followed, with starkly different outcomes. Kushida, with decent athletic talent, barely clinched first in her group. Learning Horikita got second, her pride was unmistakable, irking Horikita further.
Karuizawa, meanwhile, reliably took second-to-last, an overachievement since everyone expected her to be last. Another class had someone even slower.
In other classes, Kamuro Masumi took first in her group, Ichinose Honami barely reached fifth, and Class D's Shiina Hiyori was worse. Unaware she was on the track until the race started, she dawdled to the finish, predictably last.
What's with this girl…
Even the stands were baffled. Ryuen's class had someone this clueless?
After the 100-meter races, the events progressed smoothly. With Koenji Rokusuke's participation, Class C was energized, everyone in high spirits.
Hikigaya kept his promise, watching all of Sakura's races from the sidelines.
Oddly, Horikita's performance remained subpar, like in the 100-meter race. She could've beaten Ibuki but lost focus, missing first.
This persisted in later events. She barely hit top three, never first, a disaster for Class C's strategy.
In the 1200-meter mixed relay, Class 1-C and Class 3-A were grouped together. Horikita planned to face her brother, Horikita Manabu, but…
Her distraction was dragging her down.
As the fastest, Horikita Manabu would run the final leg. No one believed in this chance to confront her brother more than Horikita Suzune, but…
Could she prove herself this time?
Doubts swirled in her mind, eroding her confidence.
She realized the chasm between her and her brother, sparking a new thought.
The second event was the 100-meter hurdles, with two rules: touching a hurdle added 0.3 seconds, knocking one over added 0.5 seconds. For untrained students, this was brutally tough.
Crashing through didn't work. Take Sotomura, his bulky frame started fine but inevitably toppled every hurdle, earning last place.
Hikigaya, in the fourth group, was beside Class B's ace, Kanzaki Ryuji.
"We meet again."
"Feels surreal. Last time we were allies."
"It's the school's grouping. Gotta follow it."
"Hope you can unleash that speed again. Give me some pressure."
"Sorry to disappoint."
At the gun, they sprinted. Unlike the straight dash, speed couldn't match earlier.
These hurdles…
As expected, Hikigaya grazed one, adding 0.3 seconds.
Kanzaki, like a superhuman, soared to the finish.
Idiot, don't mock me with that strength…
Hikigaya didn't hit top three, trailing closely in fourth.
Next, Koenji's group left everyone stunned. He checked his hair in a mirror at the gun, then leaped over hurdles in ten different "thrilling" poses, sparking one thought:
Where did this monkey come from?
Still, he easily took first. The stands were incredulous, some blinked, and he was at the finish.
"Hey, what's this? Is he a kangaroo?"
"He… didn't even run?"
"Believe it? In a running race, he jumped faster than you…"
"Don't forget, he checked his hair first."
"This guy's a monster. What's going on? How's anyone supposed to compete?"
The stands, from first to third years, exploded. Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi noticed the golden-haired free spirit.
Hikigaya, exasperated, covered his face, muttering, "I knew he was a freak, but… this is too much."
He was warned, jumping in a running race was a violation. Another infraction would ban him.
That was the school's cruelty: break a rule openly, face instant punishment.
On the girls' side, Horikita remained distracted, losing to Class D's two aces in the hurdles, taking fourth.
This was beyond everyone's expectations, a clear mental issue.
The events continued this way. Hikigaya gave his all, sometimes scraping third, sometimes missing it, but never last, an unexpected feat.
The training clearly worked.
Horikita, however, sank to his level. Hikigaya regretted his earlier words, which likely affected her state.
During a brief lunch break, he found her sitting alone.
"What, want another punch?"
"I'm not into weird fetishes."
Horikita chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. You don't think I'm like this because of you, do you? So self-important."
Hikigaya: "Hearing you say that makes me feel gross. But your state's off. From the class's perspective, I'm here to fix you."
Horikita shook her head, no longer mocking him.
"I know my problem. It's not arrogance, but… you can't help."
"Your brother?"
She nodded heavily, and they fell silent.
Indeed, Hikigaya couldn't help with that.
After a brief silence, Horikita broke it.
"Hikigaya, what if I don't face my brother?"
He hadn't expected this. Since enrolling, she'd craved a direct confrontation with Horikita Manabu. Now, with the chance before her, she was giving up.
For the graduating Horikita Manabu, this might be her last shot.
She gave a reconciled smile. "I think I should let it go. Otherwise, I'd be letting my classmates down."
"You… sure about this?"
"Yes. It's my decision, the only way to regain my focus."
Hikigaya: "If it's your choice, I won't argue. But the final leg… who's taking it?"
Horikita reverted to her usual self, giving him a look for the obvious question. "Two choices: you run, I'm sure my brother would go easy on you, or that guy."
"That's not a choice!"
"It is. If you want to run, even if everyone disagrees, I'd support you."
"Then I'd instantly be the class's most hated guy."
"Same here…"
They smiled like friends or casual desk mates, gazing at each other happily.
Horikita Suzune has grown again.
Afternoon events were optional, with double the points of mandatory ones. If Horikita could reclaim top ranks, it would greatly offset Class C's losses.
Hikigaya had two events: tug-of-war, where effort barely mattered, and the two-person three-legged race with Karuizawa.
[Horikita Manabu: "I didn't expect her to realize this and break free from my shadow… Surprising. For years, she never had this awareness."]
[Tachibana Akane: "President, are you happy for your sister's growth?"]
[Horikita Manabu, expressionless, adjusted his glasses calmly. "Of course."]
[Horikita Suzune saw her brother's words. When "Of course" hit her eyes, her body froze, heart stopping.]
[Time seemed to enter another world, illusory yet real.]
[Her lifelong dream, her brother's approval, came through a video. He'd always watched her, not for skills or data, but something simpler.]
[He didn't want to bind her or lead her down a warped path.]
[She'd misunderstood "comrades," "ability," and "communication," thinking only power would earn his approval, dismissing others.]
[But walking that path would never yield answers. Her years-long question dissolved, along with her icy demeanor.]
[Yukinoshita Haruno: "Not sure why, but this silly sister feels a bit like someone."]
[Hiratsuka Shizuka: "You still love beating around the bush."]
[Haruno: "Haha, Shizu, sometimes being too clear ruins it. Epiphanies happen in moments like this video."]
[Hiratsuka sighed helplessly.]
[Yukinoshita Yukino, reading her sister's words, sank into thought.]
[Yuigahama Yui, laughing: "Haha, Haruno-nee's words are as cryptic as ever…"]
[Hikigaya knew what she meant but didn't clarify. "Some things are best realized on your own, as she said. Being told ruins it."]
[Yukinoshita sank deeper into thought.]
[Isshiki Iroha whispered in Hikigaya's ear, "Senpai, aren't you too harsh on Yukino-senpai? You're not like that with the girls in the video."]
[Hikigaya flushed, eyes darting. "Idiot, what are you saying? If I spell it out, it loses meaning."]
[Isshiki nodded, half-understanding, not really getting it.]
After a brief nap, afternoon events began. Free from facing her brother, Horikita relaxed, taking top two in two optional events. Her sudden shift thrilled the class and drew a faint smile from Horikita Manabu, watching his sister from afar.
"Leaving it to you was right, Hikigaya Hachiman…"
Koenji, though monstrously strong, struggled in team events alone. With Sudo Ken, it was different.
Together, they could rival a team. In tug-of-war, Hikigaya barely tried, and they won.
Their teammates felt the same.
The opposing Red team stared at the towering duo like they'd seen ghosts.
Too freakish…
(End of this chapter)