Sudō yanked Hikigaya closer by the collar, practically fuming. "You got a death wish or somethin'? Why the hell's a loser like you acting all cocky?!"
Hikigaya blinked slowly, his head slightly tilted, eyes looked directly into his barely even blinking.
"…Cocky?" he repeated, feigning a confused look. "When exactly was I acting cocky?"
He glanced down at the hand gripping his collar, then back up—his deadpan eyes staring straight into Sudo's without flinching.
That look. That damn look.
That stare those dead fish eyes it dug under Sudō's skin like a thorn. Unflinching, uninterested, and somehow… condescending, even without meaning to be.
To someone like Sudo, who thrived on loud responses and dominance displays, it was the ultimate provocation.
"Tch…" Sudō clicked his tongue, fingers tightening even more on the collar as he felt the irritation.
Ike and Yamauchi, never ones to miss a chance to fuel idiocy, immediately jumped in from the sidelines.
"Oi! Sudo, don't let him get away after messing with us!"
"Yeah, this creepy loner's been acting all smug lately!"
Not only them, but other remaining students in class started whispering too. There were a few chuckles here and there. Even Ayanokoji who was with them looking was looking at this with his usual gaze. while Horikita looked visibly impatient, though she chose not to intervene."
"Isn't that the guy who always asks weird stuff during class?"
"Yeah, totally awkward… this was bound to happen sooner or later."
"Heh… what a idiot?"
Hikigaya heard it all of it too, of course. You didn't need ears to catch whispers like that. 'Seems like these people must be delighted too huh…'
He understands very well why this was the case.
Because there's a cruel comfort people find in someone else's failure especially someone they've labeled as "beneath" them. It reinforces their place in the social order. It confirms that their judgments were right.
But the second someone like him someone who doesn't fit into their tidy little hierarchy starts trying to improve, it makes people… uncomfortable.
After all, until now, they'd been enjoying a relaxed, slacking atmosphere. And he was the one who starting disrupting it. The change was abrupt, unwelcome. So, in a way, this was their attempt to preserve that comfort by showing the "loser" his place.
So of course, they laugh.
Of course, they sneer.
They whisper like cowards while someone like Sudo does the shouting for them.
People will sympathize with weakness. But they'll hate success that makes them feel small. Especially when it comes from someone, they thought was beneath them.
That's how social hierarchy always works.
But the thing is, he knows how to deal with this kind of situation. It's nothing new to him afterall.
Hikigaya didn't even acknowledge any of them this entire time. He just kept his gaze locked on Sudo, as if the other two idiots didn't exist.
"If it's about the bump just now… I already said it was my bad," Hikigaya said calmly. "What else do you want me to do? Offer you formal apologies. huh?"
Sudō's jaw twitched. "Not just that! Even during lunch, you were actin' all high and mighty! I called out to you, and you ignored me like I wasn't even there!"
Hikigaya tilted his head slightly. The kind of tilt cats do when they're either confused or about to knock something off a table on purpose.
"…Wait, you were calling out me?" he asked. "Huh. My bad again. I didn't realize it was you. All I heard was someone was shouting at someone."
Sudō was caught off guard for a second. "Huh?!"
"How was I supposed to know you were shouting at me?" Hikigaya continued, his voice calm, almost laced with amused sarcasm, all the while keeping his gaze locked on Sudo.
He let that hang in the air for a moment, then continued.
"The thing is, I've gotten so used to dogs barking—I mean, people shouting—in the class all the time that I barely notice it anymore. So, if you were barking—sorry, shouting—at me specifically, you could've at least tried calling my name. Though honestly, expecting someone like you to remember it might've been giving you too much credit."
"What did you just say…!" Sudō shouted, his face twisting in fury as he yanked Hikigaya's collar even tighter, choking him a bit. "A weirdo like you thinks he can look down on me?!"
But instead of replying, Hikigaya stayed silent, offering no resistance. He simply kept staring at Sudō, even as he was violently shaken by collar.
Hikigaya wasn't even trying to resist, and his silence only stoked the flames even further.
With a snarl, Sudō snapped.
"You bastard…!"
In one swift motion, he pushed Hikigaya forward, then threw him violently down onto the classroom floor.
The room fell silent, the earlier murmurs suddenly dying down.
Even Ike and Yamauchi stopped talking. Ayanokoji stood nearby, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene as if he were weighing the exact moment to intervene.
Hikigaya didn't flinch. Even as he hit the ground, his gaze never left Sudo.
Ayanokoji stepped forward, offering a hand for him to get up but Hikigaya raised a palm, signaling him to stop.
Instead of standing up, he adjusted himself to sit more comfortably on the floor like nothing about the situation was unusual.
He let out a tired sigh.
Then, in a voice low but perfectly clear, Hikigaya decided to break the silence with a question. "…Do you really think that someone like me actually looks down on you?"
The question wasn't confrontational. If anything, it sounded genuine.
Sudō blinked, caught off guard. His fists remained clenched, breath still heavy, but something about the calmness in Hikigaya's voice the way he sat there on the floor as if none of this mattered made him hesitate.
"That's completely ridiculous," Hikigaya continued, brushing dust off his sleeve. "I never thought anything like that. Not even once"
Even Horikita, who had been watching the exchange with a mix of irritation and impatient, seemed momentarily surprised by the hearing him say that.
Sudō opened his mouth to protest, stumbling out a "But—"
Only for Hikigaya to raise a hand, palm forward not aggressively, just firm enough to silence him. "You must have a very high opinion of yourself. Don't you?"
Sudō's brows furrowed. "What the hell are you even saying…?"
Hikigaya exhaled quietly, brushing off his sleeve again and he tilted his head slightly eyes cold and muttered, almost offhandedly, "Who even are you? I didn't even know your name until now."
Sudō, standing over him with clenched fists, suddenly froze. For a brief moment, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. There was something wrong with this picture—he was the one towering above, yet somehow… he felt like he was the one being looked down on.
Then a mocking, almost unsettling smile formed on Hikigaya's face.
"Looking down on you?" Hikigaya repeated in a voice cold enough to sting. "How could I ever do that… if I never even looked at you in the first place?"
Sudō's jaw tightened. His fingers twitched with the urge to lash out again.
"You—!" he growled.
But before he could finish, Hikigaya continued, "Just by barking—I mean, shouting—you really expect people to know who you are? That's just way too sad, don't you think?"
That struck a nerve. Sudō stepped forward, raising a hand again—but this time, Ayanokoji moved.
"Sudo," he said calmly, stepping between them, "You'll only make yourself look worse if you keep going."
Hearing this, Sudō looked around and saw the whole class watching him and Hikigaya. Some students were whispering, a few trying not to laugh. Even Ike and Yamauchi, who had been loud earlier, had fallen silent, wearing awkward smiles now that all the attention was on them.
Oddly enough, the only one who didn't seem bothered by any of it… was Hikigaya.
And then, just as the tension began to shift, another voice cut through the room.
"Alright, enough." Horikita's voice rang out, cold and impatient. "My time's too valuable to waste on your childish tantrums. Hikigaya, hurry up and end this farce already."
Then, a voice rang from across the class.
"Can you guys not do this here?" Karuizawa snapped. "You're seriously annoying everyone here. If you're gonna fight, take it outside or something."
Sudō's breathing was heavy. His teeth clenched. He turned to Horikita, then to Ayanokoji, and finally back down to Hikigaya, still seated on the floor with that unreadable expression.
"Whatever," he muttered through gritted teeth, stepping back with visible frustration.
Ike scratched the back of his head, clearly trying to act casual.
"Yeah, uh… I think I left something in the hallway," he mumbled, already walking off.
Yamauchi snorted, tagging along behind him. "Man, that guy is seriously messed up. No wonder no one talks to him."
The two of them slipped out, still laughing under their breath like they hadn't just been hiding behind Sudo a minute ago.
Ayanokoji gave Sudō a brief look. "Sudo, don't you have basketball club now? You're going to be late if you stay here."
Sudō gritted his teeth, his eyes still burning with frustration.
"Tch… Don't get cocky just 'cause I let it slide this time," he muttered, glaring down at Hikigaya. "Next time, you won't be getting back up."
Hikigaya glanced up at Sudō, his tone dry as ever.
"Yeah, sure," he said flatly.
As Sudō finally stormed off, shoulders tense and fists clenched, Hikigaya remained seated, watching him go with mild disinterest.
'Huh. That took barely any effort. Not bad… considering I got what I wanted from this.' Hikigaya thought.
Their voices trailed off as they left the classroom.
Ayanokoji remained there for a moment longer. He turned his head slightly, casting one last glance toward Hikigaya still seated on the floor, brushing dust off his blazer as if nothing unusual had happened.
'So, this is how Hikigaya chooses to handle things. He provokes without truly provoking. Responds without ever reacting. Even when dragged and thrown, he stayed completely still.'
Without saying anything, Ayanokoji turned and quietly followed the others out of the classroom. But he couldn't help having one last thought about the situation.
'That kind of calmness isn't normal. Is he trying to prove something? Or is this just how he survives? …No, he's too deliberate for that. He definitely wants something out of this.'