Chapter 19: The Labels We Carry  

Haruno's cold reaction and icy expression weren't unexpected. Hikigaya had already prepared himself for this outcome. But even so, when he actually faced it, he couldn't help but feel a little lonely. 

Haruno deliberately put some distance between them, and her voice carried a slightly sharper edge. 

"Just to be clear, I never felt guilty about that car accident, nor did I ever think about making up for it. So you don't need to worry about that. But after finding out that you're the 'troublesome little virgin' Shizuka-chan always talks about, I got a little curious." 

"That's good to hear." Hikigaya ignored that humiliating nickname and nodded. 

"I have things to do, so I won't keep you." 

Just as he turned to leave, Haruno suddenly spoke again. 

"Hikigaya-kun, you've noticed it too, haven't you? The truth about this school." 

"The truth about this school? I'm not sure what you're talking about. I still have—" 

"Oh? I thought you would've asked Shizuka-chan by now." Haruno smiled meaningfully. 

"So she hasn't told you? Or… is there some reason she can't tell the students?" 

Hikigaya hadn't expected Haruno to guess so accurately. Or maybe… 

"I don't have the bad habit of eavesdropping, you know~" Haruno said casually, as if she had already read his mind. 

"Sigh… Yukinoshita-san, why are you so fixated on me?"

Hikigaya couldn't understand Haruno's obsession at all. He didn't believe in some ridiculous idea that he had any charm that could attract her. Besides, in this timeline, their relationship wasn't nearly that close! 

To put it bluntly, they weren't even friends. At most, they were just distant classmates, or perhaps... mere acquaintances. 

"Because you misunderstand both your own abilities and how others see you." 

"Misunderstand? More like you are overestimating me." 

Hikigaya mocked himself. What abilities did he even have? If he had any, he wouldn't have been placed in Class D. If he had any, he wouldn't have been ostracized and treated like an outcast. If he had any, he wouldn't be so powerless to protect the people he wanted to protect. 

With a resigned sigh, the dead-eyed boy said, 

"I'll admit one thing—what happened in the gym just now made it clear how special the student council here is. That student council president seems extremely strict, and because of that, the requirements for joining must be really high. So no matter how you look at it, there's no way they'd accept a student from Class D. On the other hand, a student from Class A, like you, would have a much better—" 

Hikigaya suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A cold sweat ran down his forehead. 

"Huh? Why'd you stop, Hikigaya-kun? I was listening so intently, you know~~" 

Haruno crossed her arms and smiled at him playfully. 

"M-my point is…" Hikigaya's face showed a hint of panic. 

But Haruno didn't give him any chance to explain. She raised two fingers and smirked. "That makes it twice now. From the gym earlier up until now, you've kept saying that 'being a Class D student means you have no value.' That's pretty strange, don't you think~?" 

"I think I can still explain—" 

"No need for you to think. Only what I think matters." 

"..." 

Hikigaya finally realized where he had slipped up. Haruno's ability to pick up on small details was terrifying. The slightest mistake and she had already caught onto his weakness. And honestly… he had been too careless. 

Seeing him fall silent, Haruno's smirk grew wider. She continued, "The school administration has granted the student council the power to change the rules and regulations. You remember that, right?" 

That was something the student council president had said earlier on stage. Hikigaya, of course, remembered it word for word. 

At first glance, it sounded like a standard speech, but if you knew the truth about this school, then the hidden meaning behind those words became much more interesting. Hikigaya also recalled how the upperclassmen in the gym had reacted to the student council president. That was something worth thinking about. 

But still… 

Now that he had been exposed, there was no point in pretending anymore. 

 "The student council has been given the power to change the rules, which means the requirements to join must be extremely strict, right? So between Class A and Class D, which one do you think the student council favors more? 

Or rather, which group of students has the qualifications and value to be part of it? 

So let's go back to the original question—does my personal ability or value even matter? It's obvious... what truly matters isn't me as a person, but the 'Class D' label attached to me. 

A senator's son is still a senator. A banker's son is still a banker. The elite will always favor their own. 

Since you already know about that scandal from middle school, you should understand even better that 'Hikigaya Hachiman' is someone completely unsuited for joining any kind of group." 

Ever since Hikigaya learned the true meaning behind Class A and Class D, he had already accepted one brutal reality—Class D students were at the very bottom of this school's food chain. 

The student council, on the other hand, was at the very top. Would those in power ever welcome someone from the bottom to stand as their equal? 

The answer was obvious. 

This wasn't about self-pity or looking down on himself—it was simply an undeniable truth. Rather than dreaming of jumping to the top and getting strangled in the process, it was better to take things one step at a time. 

Of course, there was also the fact that Hikigaya had no intention of walking into the trap Haruno had clearly set for him. He didn't want to follow along with whatever plan she had in mind. His instincts as a lone wolf were screaming that something about this was off—very off—extremely off! 

The best move here was to refuse. No matter what, he couldn't agree! 

"What if I told you there's a way to leave school temporarily?" Haruno's lips curled into a knowing smile as she suddenly changed the subject. 

Hikigaya instinctively replied, "The school rules clearly state that students aren't allowed to leave the campus, so there's no way—" 

He stopped mid-sentence. 

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he turned to Haruno in shock. 

"…You mean… off-campus sports competitions?!" 

The gym, the club recruitment, the student council… 

At last, Hikigaya understood Haruno's true intentions.

"The information posted on the bulletin board in the school building should still show the achievements of several sports clubs from last year's IH tournament. Among them, student council members participated as support staff and supervisors." 

So Haruno joined the student council with this in mind?! 

Noticing hidden details in things that most people overlook—Haruno's ability is truly impressive.