LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Why Are You So Skilled?
On the first day of May, the entire first year was enveloped in a heavy atmosphere. Ever since the school officially revealed the truth about its system, everyone walking through the hallways seemed to have the sensation of heading into battle.
After all, this school encourages competition among students, and there is no doubt that the competition between classes has made it impossible for students to form normal, friendly relationships like in an average high school.
The biggest impression left on Hikigaya in these past few days is that the entire campus is filled with a tense atmosphere. Every student’s eyes carry a subtle hostility. Of course, as a member of Class D, he certainly doesn’t get to experience the “privilege” of this hostility.
The reason is simple. After the first month of school, when all class points were reset to zero, no one sees Class D as a threat. In fact, they might even pity them.
Well, for Hikigaya, this might not be entirely a bad thing.
Furthermore, after the school revealed the truth, a hierarchy of contempt has formed between the classes. The higher-ranked classes look down on the lower-ranked ones, and naturally, Class D is at the bottom of this hierarchy. These things are not always obvious, but everyone knows it deep down. The label of being the “worst” class creates a psychological shadow of inferiority.
Especially for adolescents, nothing is more humiliating than being looked down upon by others. If you insult their family or ancestors, it won’t faze them; but if you call them useless, a loser, or a recluse, they will immediately become furious and fight back. This is a strange microcosm of Japanese society.
The explosive troublemaker, Sudo, had been involved in several arguments with students from other classes and even older students after the truth about the school was revealed. Fortunately, after a few days, there were several public holidays, which gave this ticking time bomb of a boy a cooling-off period.
The public holidays also gave Class D a bit of a break. When school resumed, things didn’t continue to worsen or completely fall apart, but instead showed some signs of improvement?
This was all thanks to Hirata’s efforts in using the time during the holidays. He capitalized on the students’ frustration of not having personal points to watch other classes enjoy their break, and managed to convince most of the class with the argument that “if they work hard, they can at least earn points next month.”
The result was that after returning from the holidays, Hirata’s voice had become a bit hoarse, but seeing the students in his class slowly starting to change, even though it was far from perfect, he was already quite happy.
As for the little angel, Kushida? She had some use, but her impact was limited. Kushida couldn’t do what Hirata did—offer help in tough situations—she was more suited for light, enjoyable tasks.
Hikigaya watched all of this silently, admiring Hirata’s efforts, while also mentally preparing to offer a prayer for him.
Because he simply didn’t see any hope for this class. Right now, they could barely hold on with Hirata’s “encouragement,” but what if next month they still fail to make any progress? The false hope they had might dissipate rapidly.
After all… the biggest challenge was still ahead: the midterm exams at the end of the month!
The current problem hadn’t even been resolved, and now they were facing an even bigger one.
Thinking about this, Hikigaya couldn’t help but sigh.
“Hikigaya, why do you keep sighing? Is it because you’re worried about getting along with your classmates?” In the student council office, Tachibana asked while handling some paperwork, looking up at Hikigaya.
“Sorry to worry you, senpai,” Hikigaya quickly collected his thoughts and responded, assuring her that it was just a small problem.
Since the conflict with the girls, led by Karuizawa, Hikigaya had been the target of cold stares, but he really didn’t mind. After all, he was already a loner in class, so such rumors and whispers didn’t put any pressure on him.
On the contrary, since joining the student council, Hikigaya had been coming to the student council office almost every day after school, helping Tachibana, the secretary of the student council, with various chores and tasks.
By the way, why was he always the one on duty? There was that annoying guy who kept skipping her shifts!
“By the way, Hikigaya, why are you so skilled at this? Did you have previous experience with similar work?” Tachibana asked curiously.
The beginning of the school year is typically the busiest time for the student council, and as the student council secretary, Tachibana had to deal with many small tasks. While these tasks weren’t crucial, they were incredibly tedious and required patience and energy. In the past, this used to leave her exhausted, but this year, she found it surprisingly easy.
Because with Hikigaya’s help, these mundane tasks were completed with unexpected efficiency, almost like an expert who had been dealing with these things for years. It was so smooth that it was almost shocking.
The reason these tasks were considered tedious was that although they weren’t important, there were so many small details to take care of.
Hikigaya didn’t need Tachibana to remind him about these details—he had already marked and handled them, leaving only the final review for her.
With Hikigaya, the “veteran,” helping, efficiency soared, and the work became much lighter.
“I guess I have had similar experience,” Hikigaya scratched his head. Even though he should have been happy about receiving such praise from Tachibana, he felt a sense of PTSD. It reminded him of those piles of chores waiting for him to handle back in winter, all thanks to that annoying guy who became president but didn’t do her job!
And why was it that there were two first-year students in the student council, yet he was the only one doing the work?
This year, the student council had only two new members: Hikigaya from Class D and Yukinoshita from Class A.
“I see,” Tachibana said, and then she couldn’t help but admire the president’s sharp eye. Initially, she had been worried about Hikigaya’s abilities, since he came from Class D, and he didn’t seem like the most sociable person.
But after spending time with him, Tachibana realized many of Hikigaya’s strengths: his seriousness about work, his excellent attitude, and his surprisingly strong abilities. Communicating with him was smooth and efficient.
Even the “dead fish eyes,” which she had found a bit intimidating at first, now seemed somewhat endearing to her.
Although he was from Class D, he was surprisingly diligent, whereas that girl from Class A was always skipping shifts. Who was the real D-class student here? Tachibana thought with some frustration.
As for Hikigaya, she didn’t mind offering a little help to such a hardworking junior.
“I’ve heard a bit about the situation in your class. You guys lost all your points in the first month, cough… it’s a bit delicate, isn’t it? Is your class’s points enough for this month? Don’t be shy to ask for help, it’s a senior’s duty to assist juniors.”